Nellis: We Started Young
by ABitOLiterature
Summary: What happens when their past catches up with them? All the promises nineteen year old Nick made to six year old Ellis. Twelve years later, in a zombie infested world, do those promises still count? It's time to catch up; but most of all, it's time for a second chance.
1. Chapter 1

Nick and Ellis: Valve  
Other Characters: Hannibal's Fannibal  
Story: DanniJean  
MalexMale, Don't Like Don't Read

"How much do you charge Nicolas?"

"Twenty five an hour."

"That sounds about right…"

"Sure is, you aren't gonna get anybody as good as me."

*Sigh*

"Alright Nicolas, you're right. My husband and I are leaving for dinner in a few minuets, come on in and make yourself at home, the little man is in his room playing."

The stocky brunette woman standing at the front door stepped aside to let Nick in, he nodded to her and walked into the beautiful home. Nick walked into the living room and looked around, the family was filthy rich; expensive paintings hung in ever corner, statues and sculptures stood around the rooms, Nick looked up at the four-story house's ceiling, a large crystal chandelier hung above his head.  
This family had been a definite score…all he had to do was baby-sit a pesky six-year-old little brat for a few hours and then he could go blow off the money and party to his heart's delight.

"Alrighty then, what time is it?"  
The woman looked down at her watch.  
"Okay, so it's 5:30 right now, Ellis will need to have his dinner in a half-an-hour, you can just give him the left over pasta in the fridge. He goes to bed at 8:00 don't let him stay up any later than that of he'll be cranky all tomorrow."  
Nick straightened up and tried to act like he cared.  
"Does the kid have any medical issues I should know about?"

"Yes Ellis has severe asthma, here take this…"  
The woman pulled an inhaler from her purse and handed it to Nick.  
"Keep this in your pocket at all times, his attacks happen often and are random. Ellis has another inhaler on him, but he'll most likely lose it as he normally does..."

The woman turned to the stairs and shouted to her husband to hurry up, then she returned her attention to Nick, eyeing his appearance with obvious disgust.  
Nick was nineteen years old, he wore torn black jeans, worn shoes, a dark grey band T-shirt, a dirty leather jacket around his shoulders, and he wore his dark brown hair in gelled spikes…  
Nick was trouble from the very beginning, after dropping out of high school junior year he'd been in and out of jobs. How he had ended up baby sitting was a mystery to him, he hated kids, well not only kids but just about everyone who dared look his way. He'd look up snobby rich people in need of a sitter online and charge them ridiculous amounts per hour, because he knew only those kinds of people could afford his prices.  
So here he was, just landing himself another job from a loaded family who are too wrapped up in their needs to want to take care of their kid, and in this case, their adopted kid.

Nick glanced up to see the husband rushing down the stairs, the man took a moment to look at Nick and then back at his wife, she nodded to him and he rolled his eyes.  
"We're off, not sure when we'll be back, but I doubt you care right, just as long as you get paid."

"Yes ma'am."  
Nick saluted the couple and watched them scurry out the door. Nick waited until he heard the garage door close and the car leave the driveway before he kicked off his shoes and went off in search of a liquor cabinet.  
It wasn't long before he found the booze sitting pretty in a kitchen cabinet.  
"Score."  
Nick searched for the most expensive of the bottles and ended up with a deep red colored wine. He didn't bother with a glass, biting down on the cork and pulling it out with a "pop."  
Nick took a large swig and plopped down on the couch in search for a remote.  
He flipped on the T.V. screen to see a blast of colors and excitement on the news.  
An attractive blonde news anchor was talking, there was a large smile on her face as she wiped away tears.

"You heard it right, scientists have started the development of a cancer-killing serum. Recent studies have resulted in cell bonding, allowing the serum to take hold of the host's infected cancer cells and absorb them, making new, and healthy white blood cells…"

Nick set down the wine and clapped a few times before changing the channel and chugging more red liquid.  
Once the bottle was half gone, Nick slouched back and let the warmth of the alcohol seep through his body.

"S-S'cuse me?"  
Nick didn't hear Ellis as he tip-toed down the stairs and stood beside him.  
"Mister?"  
Nick cracked open an eye and turned to face the little boy, he was surprised to see how grown up the six-year-old boy looked. He had short blonde curls and bright blue eyes, he wore a green shirt and short jean overalls, one strap hung down at his elbow, Nick could honestly say that of all the little demons he had ever had the displeasure of being in the same room with, this one was the cutest one he'd seen yet.

"What ya need squirt?"  
Ellis' brows furrowed at the nickname.  
"I'm hungry, an s' past mah dinner time."  
Nick smiled at the kid's southern accent, must have been picked up off of a farm in savannah or something.

"Go make it yourself."  
Nick turned back to the T.V. and pretended to watch the images on the screen, Ellis didn't move an inch.  
"I can't, I ain't old enough to use the microwave, an' mama wont let me in the kitchen cuz I ain't 'spossed to be 'round fire cuz this one time I done lit the cat on fire an mama was real mad an…"

"Oh my god shut up! Fine, okay, I'll go make you your goddamn dinner, just shut the hell up!"

Nick pushed himself off the couch and trudged into the kitchen, he slammed doors around until he found the blue Tupperware sitting in the fridge, filled with the leftover pasta.  
Nick dug around in the drawers until he found a spoon, he scooped out a generous amount of the pasta and threw it in the nearest microwave. He turned around and leaned against the marble counters with his arms crossed, a scowl across his face…fucking kids.

*Sniffle*

Nick cocked his head.

*Whimper*

Nick sighed loudly.  
"C'mere kid."

A curly head of hair hesitantly appeared from behind the doorway, there were shiny tears swelling in his eyes.  
Nick rolled his eyes and walked over to the child, bending over and putting a hand on his tiny shoulder.

"Look, I'm sorry okay. I'm not really as you say…good with kids, I'm really only after the money but since you're a cool looking kid maybe we can…get along?"

Nick wiped away the tears on Ellis' delicate skin, Ellis giggled and jumped at Nick, trapping him in a surprisingly strong hug, his small arms wrapping around Nick's neck.  
"Alright alright, get off me so I can get your slop."

Ellis released Nick and skipped over to the dining table, he jumped up onto a green booster seat and started fidgeting with his hands, Nick couldn't help but smile.  
He took the food out of the microwave and brought it over to Ellis, the child immediately started scarfing it down with a little green fork.  
"Whoa slow down there fireball, don't want you choking do we?"  
Ellis ignored Nick and continued eating.

"Fine, just ignore me, you'll see when you…"  
Ellis swallowed hard and started coughing, the fork fell to the floor with a clank.  
"Oh shit!"

Nick leapt over the table and took hold of the small boy, he slapped his back roughly, hoping to help Ellis spit up the food.  
Ellis continued to cough and hack, his face, turning a shade of purple.  
"Fuck fuck fuck!

Nick slapped his pockets for the inhaler, once he felt the small plastic object he pulled it out and held it up to Ellis' face, he pushed down the button and sighed pure relief when Ellis responded by inhaling the fumes.

The two sat there for a moment, Nick cradling Ellis as they sat on the kitchen floor. Ellis held tight to Nick's leather jacket, letting his breathing steady.

"T-Thank ya kindly."

"Not a problem, just don't to that ever fucking again you hear me?"  
Ellis nodded.  
"You scared the shit outta me, I thought I was going to loose you or something."  
Ellis scooted closer to Nick's chest, wrapping his little arms around his upper back and closing his eyes.

"M' sorry Nicolas."  
Nick sighed.  
"Call me Nick, kay kid?"

"Then yew call me Ellis."

Nick smiled and held Ellis in his arms. He walked over to the couch where he sat down with Ellis still in his arms, he let the little boy wrap his arms around him as the T.V. lulled them both to sleep.

Yeah, Nick wouldn't mind babysitting for these rich snobs again, he liked Ellis, there was a strange protective force pulling him toward the kid, he didn't mind it at all.

Nick sprinted as fast as his body would let him, the screams of the monsters behind him motivated him to run even faster.  
On the twenty seventh flight of stairs Nick caught sight of a hooded creature clawing away at a man below him, the man screamed for help. Nick sprinted over to the hooded monster and put a bullet from his magnum right in the creature's head.

"I don't know who the fuck you are, and I sure as hell don't give one shit…but get off your ass and come with me if you plan on living one more minuet in this hell hole!"

Nick grabbed the man by the arm and roughly pulled him up the remaining flights of stairs.  
There was one last door before they reached the hotel roof, Nick released his grip on the man and pushed it open.  
The two men were not only greeted by two more survivors, but also the unbearable realization that the rescue team…the rescue team wasn't coming for them.

Nick took a moment to catch his breath, his lungs screamed for air, cure for cancer my ass, sure it had been nice the first twelve years, but with this sudden rejection going on in the patients' bodies, they've been turning into fucking zombies!  
One of the other survivors spoke.

"This is not happening, this is not happening…"  
Nick wasn't surprised in the least, that's what you get for trusting the government.  
"Looks like there's been a change of plans…"

The last of the survivors, a tall man who looked to be a football coach according to his attire, sighed and spoke up.  
"Shit y'all, don't worry, we'll find another way to N'Orleans."

Nick stood up and straightened his white suit jacket, he took a moment to look at the three new people with him.

"People call me Coach.

"Name's Rochelle, you?"

"Ellis, m' name's Ellis."

Nick froze, that accent, it sounded all too familiar…Nick turned to face the man he had saved only minutes ago.

"Hey, do I know yew?"  
Nick stayed silent.

"Hey…I do know yew! Yew used to baby-sit me when I waz jus' a little dude, well shit, didn't think I'd ever see yew again."  
Still nothing.

"Say, I done forgotten yer name, whut's it been, like twelve years?"  
Nick nodded.

"Call me Nick, kay kid?"

Ellis nodded happily and went off to greet his new teammates.

They had a long journey ahead of them, this was going to be the start of something Nick had never experienced before. 


	2. Chapter 2

Nick and Ellis: Valve  
Other Characters: Hannibal's Fannibal  
Story: DanniJean  
MalexMale Romance, Strong Language  
Don't Like Don't Read

~*~  
"Mama, he's here he's here!"

"Yes honey I see that, calm down before you make your father upset."  
Ellis sprinted around his mother in circles as Nick pulled up the driveway, the young boy hadn't seen Nick since last month; he was ecstatic to finally spend time with him again.  
Nick pulled the car to a halt and quickly slid out; he was excited to see the little monster too after such a long time apart. He locked the car doors and strode up to the porch; he smiled as he heard a high pitched southern drawl shouting from the other side of the door.  
Ellis' mother unlocked the door and began opening it for Nick; before he could take a step inside, Ellis was sprinting out the door and jumping into his arms.  
"Yer here! I missed yew so much!"

"Missed you too squirt."  
Nick hugged Ellis close, enjoying the warmth and happiness that radiated off of him.  
"Hello Nicolas."  
Nick nodded to Ellis' mom.  
"Mrs. Chapford."

"We are going to be gone longer than expected; my husband and I have a few errands to run before we get back. Can you do about eleven o' clock tonight? We will pay you for the extra time."

"I don't have anywhere to be."  
She nodded and let the two in; Ellis still clung to Nick, Mrs. Chapford smiled at the display.  
"He really likes you doesn't he?"  
Nick looked down at the child in his arms and ruffled his hair.  
"Yeah, I guess he does."

Nick walked to the living room; still holding Ellis, and flung him onto the couch. Ellis screamed and giggled as he landed softly on the cushions, Mr. Chapford rushed out of the kitchen and spoke on his way out the door.  
"His dinner is in the kitchen as always; bed at eight blah blah you know the rest."

"Yes sir."

The couple rushed out the door and into their car; Nick rolled his eyes and began kicking off his shoes.  
"Errands my ass, you just want someone to keep the kid busy while you go out partying."

"What yew talkin' bout' Nick?"  
Nick turned and pushed Ellis back onto the couch; Ellis giggled even harder.  
"Nothing to worry about. So, what are we gonna do until the boogie people get back?"

Ellis broke out in pure laughter at the nickname he and Nick had given to his parents.  
"I wanna try an idea I got."

"Do you now? So, what is this idea?"  
Ellis sat up on the couch, his curls bouncing as he moved.  
"I wanna make a movie."

"What?"

"I wanna make one of them movies ma and pa make."

"A home move?"

"Yeah!"  
Ellis stood up and bounced over to the back of the couch where Nick was leaning."  
"A home movie with yew an' me."  
Nick pondered, he wasn't used to this.  
"I'm not sure sport…"

"Pleeeeease?"  
Ellis began to tug on Nick's leather jacket; he turned to shrug him off, but was met by the most powerful puppy eyes.  
"Fuck it, why not."

"Yes!"

Ellis all but fell off the couch and ran to the coffee table and dug inside one of the drawers, pulling out an expensive looking video camera, he brought it to Nick and raised it like an offering.  
"I dunno how ta use it."

"Of course you don't, let's see here."  
Nick turned it on and took a good look at the buttons, easy enough, he'd stolen plenty just like it not too ago.  
"So what's it going to be about?"

"Yew an' me o'course!"  
Nick smirked.  
"What we calling it?"

"I dunno, yew think of anythin' good?"  
They both stood in silence; thinking of a proper name, it was Nick who spoke up moments later.  
"Let's just call it friendship, seeing as that's what we got here."

"That's perfect, I was jus' thinkin' of that."

"Yeah sure, let's start then."

~*~  
The group stayed on the roof for another hour or so, they needed time to let the reality of their situation set in.  
Nick tried to stay away from the group, he wasn't much of a people person anyways, and seeing Ellis again didn't help the situation any.  
"Hey suit!"  
Nick scowled over his shoulder and spoke in a poisonously sweet tone.  
"Yes cupcake?"  
Rochelle sneered at Nick and spoke through gritted teeth.  
"Oh drop the shit and get over here, we're going over our game plan."

Nick rolled his eyes and stood; he slouched over to the others and leaned against the table holding all their supplies.  
"So, mind filling me in?"  
Coach was the one who spoke up; Nick could tell he was a leader by nature.  
"Looks like our only hope is N'Orleans…"  
He pointed to the map resting beside the weapons.  
"Now I ain't sure how long it's gonna take to get there on foot, but if we team up and watched each other's back, I'm thinkin' we can make it there in a week or two."

"Whoa whoa whoa, team up?"

"That's what I said Nicolas."

"Nick, just call me Nick okay? And no I'm not going to be part of any little group, I'm not much of a "people person" if you catch my drift."  
Nick went to walk away but stopped and cringed as the sweet southern drawl spoke behind him.  
"Well that's a damn shame ain't it? An' tew think, yew used to be such the "people person" when we were younger weren't you?"

"You two know each other?"  
Nick turned to Rochelle and glared daggers at her, Ellis' voice sang annoyance as he stood beside her.  
"Used tew know each other a long time ago, but I don't know this guy anymore, and I ain't gonna try an' git to know him none either. Ain't nothin' but bad gonna come from him anyway."

Nick chuckled and Ellis growled at him, Coach cleared his throat and began speaking to Rochelle.  
"Alright, let's get focused an' figure out what we're up against."  
Ellis finally broke away from Nick's glare; he needed to get occupied with something else before the pain of the past reared its ugly head.

"Ain't yew guys ever seen zombie movies? We jus' gotta bash 'em on the heads an' destroy the brain, they ain't gonna git up after that."

"Yeah that's all dandy and shit, but what about those special ones? You know; the one that would have killed you if I hadn't come along."

"Shut up! Who cares if yew saved me, I was doin' just fine anyway."  
Nick smirked at the hick.  
"It wouldn't be the first time I saved your sorry ass would it?"

Ellis clenched his fists and charged at Nick snarling and cursing, Coach jumped forward and held him back.  
"If I wasn't in 'nough shit up tew my neck already, I have to deal with yew again too!? You left me once already Nick; so tell me, are yew with us or against us, cuz if you walk down those stairs I pray to every fuckin' god out there that those monsters rip yew apart you bastard!"

Tears strung down Ellis' face, why did Nick have to be here? He had tried to act calm and collected when he realized it had been Nick who had saved him; he'd even tried acting like he'd forgotten his name, but he'd be lying if he said seeing Nick again didn't tare his heart from his chest. He let Coach pull him away from Nick and have a talk with him in the corner, Ellis wiped away the pathetic tears and tried to calm down.

"Son, I don't know your history with that man and I don't think I wanna know, but I'll tell you one thing, the past is in the past an' now, now yew gotta think of the present and trying to keep yourself safe. Ro an' I got your back, so don't you worry bout that Nick."

Ellis nodded and smiled.  
"Thanks Coach, that means a lot."

**  
"What the hell is your problem suit?!"  
Nick rolled his eyes.  
"Nothing you need to worry your pretty head off about sweetheart."  
Rochelle sent him a glare that sent ice running down his spine.  
"Call me another pet name one more time and you'll see what happens."

"Okay okay, I surrender."  
Nick raised his hands above his head, Rochelle finally relaxed.  
"Remind me not to mess with you again."

"Just shut up and try and to keep the asshole attitude on a down low and we'll get along just fine."  
Nick nodded and tried his hardest not to make eye contact, damn she could be scary when she wanted to.

"So you two?"

"Look sweet….Rochelle, I'm not sticking around long enough to get all sappy so don't even bother trying to get me to spill bits of my life."

"You don't have much of a choice suit."

"And why's that?"  
Rochelle pointed over the edge of the building, Nick followed her finger and glanced down at the street below; hundreds of zombies limped and stumbled around aimlessly.  
"You won't last one second out there; at least in a team we stand a chance, I suggest you stay with us until we're somewhere safe."

"Yeah sure whatever, but as soon as we're out of this shit I'm gone."  
Rochelle sighed and glanced back at Coach and Ellis; Ellis was smiling again, at least they could get back to work now. She walked back over to the map and left Nick alone to mope by himself.

Damn kid, why did he have to show up again? He had made sure all those years ago that Ellis knew he wasn't going to be seeing him ever again, but here they were. Ellis had grown up to be a handsome smiling young man, and Nick had grown up to be a reckless gambler who had nothing to show for his life except failure and instability.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed; it honestly pained him to see the kid again, he felt like he didn't deserve to be in his presence after that day all those years ago. He knew it was for the best, but that didn't stop the intense pain of the scar Ellis had left in his life from hovering over him ever day since.  
Maybe this was his chance to start over, to try again now that Ellis was old enough to understand Nick's decision, maybe he could try again, he'd have to get down on both knees and beg forgiveness but he knew that Ellis was worth it.

"Hey Nicolas, you about done gloomin' over there? We're grabbin' supplies and headin' out, you with us?"

Nick looked over at Ellis who was busying himself loading ammo into a set of pistols.

"Yep, looks like I'm in it for the long haul." 


	3. Chapter 3

Nick and Ellis: Valve  
Other Characters: Hannibal's Fannibal  
Story: DanniJean  
MalexMale Romance, Strong Language  
Don't Like Don't Read

"Nick, say somethin' into the camera, tell 'em who ya are."  
Ellis pushed the camera too far into Nick's face; he shoved it out of the way.  
"Uh, names Nick and I'm here babysitting this little monster while his parents are out…uh, here just have Ellis do the talking, he seems to like to do that a lot."

Nick took the camera from Ellis' small hands and turned it to face him.  
"alright my turn, m' name's Ellis an' this here is my best buddy Nick an' he's takin' care of me while my ma and pa are out. They do that a lot, go out an' don't come back till a lot later, I don't git to see em' much anymore, but that's okay cuz I got my buddy Nick to keep me happy."

Ellis jumped into Nick's lap, Nick flipped the camera until it faced the both of them.  
"Hey this thing takes pictures."

"Take a picture Nick, I want one of yew an' me so I can keep it forever."  
Nick smiled and set the camera to the picture setting, Ellis leaned in close; Nick draped an arm around Ellis' small shoulders and pulled him close, Ellis cuddled into his arm and they both gave the camera a genuine smile.

"Keep filmin' Nick, I wanna videotape us singin."

"Whoa singing?"

"Yeah, somthin' wrong with singin?"

"No kid, it's just that…it's just that I hate to sing in front of people…"

"Yer scared?"  
Nick rolled his eyes.  
"Yeah, in a nutshell."

"Well yew jus' gotta sing for the camera an' I, we both don't judge. An' maybe if we can git rid of yer fear you'll grow up to be a famous singer or somethin."  
Nick had to think for a moment, he still had no idea what he wanted to be when he grew up, Ellis' suggestion sounded nice, but he'd never really attempted to sing well before.  
"I'm not sure about this Ellis."

"Oh c'mon pleeeease?"  
The camera was still filming, it captured the absolute adoration the two had for each other; a true friendship shared by the two most unlikely people.

"Fine whatever, you always win anyways."

"Yay! I'll go first so yew don't feel scared."  
Nick rolled his eyes, Ellis adjusted the camera in his hands so it could see both of them; he cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

A very uneven and high pitched tone fell from Ellis' mouth, Nick wouldn't judge him though; he was still a child and hadn't hit puberty yet. Nick looked down at the child in his arms and smiled as he sung twinkle twinkle little star.  
When he had finished he looked up at Nick with questioning eyes.

"How did I do?"

"Perfect, I don't think I could do better."  
Ellis giggled and buried himself further into Nick's chest.  
"Naw, it's your turn. I went, now yew go."

"Alright okay."  
Nick cleared his throat and began to sing twinkle twinkle little star as well. The opening pitch was low but beautiful, he sang clearly and changed pitches easily, it sounded as if he'd been singing all his life.  
When he finished he looked down to see Ellis staring at him in absolute amazement.

"Yew sounded so cool."

"Thanks squirt."  
He looked over at the large clock on above the television.  
"Lets turn this thing off, it's past your dinner time and we don't want the boogie people getting mad at us do we?"

"No we don't."

Ellis and Nick waved goodbye to the camera as Nick hit the power button, he set it down on the coffee table and carried Ellis to the kitchen.

"Aye Nick."

"Yeah?"

"Promise you'll always be my friend."  
Nick was caught off guard; he closed the fridge and walked over to the little boy sitting in the booster seat, he leaned down and kissed him on top of his golden, curl covered head.  
"I…promise."

~*~  
"These things aren't people."

"No shit suit."  
Nick hissed at Rochelle, she couldn't help but giggle.  
"Come on y'all we need to get outta here, I think I smell smoke."  
The team nodded at Coach and followed his orders, rushing down the hotel's hallways and making their way to the lower levels in search of an operating elevator.

The team shot at anything the posed a threat, cringing the bullets hit rotting flesh; this was going to take some getting used to.

"Shh, wait…what is that, is someone beating a horse?"  
Ellis chuckled at Nick and spun his new axe in his hands.  
"That's one of them hoodie dudes, my buddy Keith an' I called em' hunters."

The growling grew louder; Coach motioned around the corner and lifted his gun into a fighting stance, the rest of the team did so as well.  
Slowly the hunter approached the team on all fours; it stalked them and growled lowly, Nick was the first to speak.

"So that's a hunter, huh? What's he gonna do, go jog at me?"  
Rochelle shoved the butt of her pistol into Nick's side.  
"Shut up suit, wait…keep talking, maybe it'll eat you first."

"Calm down you two lovebirds and focus."  
Nick spoke to Coach mockingly, Ellis' brows furrowed…lovebirds, as if.  
"Awe but dad we were just having some fun."

"Shut up, the lot o' ya, this is the same zombie that got me earlier, it pounces and rips yew apart with them claws."

The hunter stopped crawling and leaned back into a pouncing position, its legs tightening for a jump.

"Shoot it shoot it!"  
The hunter lunged and the team followed Ellis' orders, showering the creature in bullets. It screamed in agony as it fell only inches away from Rochelle's feet, she kicked it away once its body stilled, cringing as blood oozed form the bullet holes.  
"That is disgusting, how many other weird zombies are there?"  
Ellis spoke as the team trudged on.  
"From what I've seen there's a few more."

"Tell us son, we gotta know what we're killing and how to kill it."

"Well there's them hunters, they can jump really high and far, once they got yew they sit on yew and rip yer guts out."

A loud screaming and gurgling sound could be heard not too far away, the team turned to Ellis for an explanation.  
"That's a spitter thing, they got no jaw and they spit acid at yew. Don't let the stuff touch yew or you'll git burned real bad."

The spitter came rushing through a doorway; everyone gasped and backed away in horror.  
"Oh an' they ain't nice lookin' either."

"You think she's single?"

"Jesus suit!"

"Guys shoot it, it's hackin' a loogie!"

The four rapidly shot at the spitter but were too late, she spit a ball of acid right before Coach could put a bullet between her eyes.  
"Run! Don't let it touch yew!"

The survivors scattered; Nick was slightly too slow.

"What the hell am I covered in? Shit that burns!"

"I told yew!"

Nick jumped away from the acid patch and quickly stripped off his suit jacket; he shook it until the acid fell off and began sizzling the floor.  
Ellis watched Nick as he removed the jacket, shamelessly staring at his body, why did he have to be so handsome?

"Earth to heehaw, come in Ellis; why do I hear laughing?"  
Ellis looked away from Nick who was sliding back into his jacket, and quickly responded to Rochelle.  
"Keith called them little freaks jockeys, I don't know why they're laughing, but they git one hell of a kick outta jumpin' on yer back and humpin' yew."

"What the hell, they hump you?"  
Ellis shrugged at Rochelle; she sighed and reloaded her pistols.  
The survivors waited for the jockey to make an appearance but it never showed, the laughing stopped abruptly followed by silence.  
Nick snorted.  
"Must've fallen off the ledge."

"C'mon, keep movin."

The survivors followed Coach's orders and allowed him to take the lead. They made their way onto the building's ledge where they walked single file, Nick walked behind Ellis.  
Damn he's grown up.  
Nick examined as much of Ellis' body as he could with the baggy coveralls and shirt hiding most of it away.  
Since when did he get so carved?  
Nick dropped his gaze lower to look at Ellis' rump, he was so focused on trying hard not to reach out and grasp it that he didn't hear the approaching grumbling.

"CHARGER!"

"Huh?"

Nick felt a bone crushing impact on his side as he was grabbed hold of and smashed into the wall near the end of the ledge; it began lifting him and pounding his body into the cement.  
"Shoot the big guy pounding me into the ground!"  
Nick could barely hear the gunshots as the charger continued crushing him into the ground, he screamed as he felt his ribs begin to crack.

Rochelle had run out of ammunition, she turned to Coach and Ellis, they were in the same boat, she screamed at Ellis.  
"Ellis your axe, kill it with your axe!"  
Ellis immediately dropped his pistols and pulled the red fire axe off his back; he sprinted up to Ellis and raised the axe over his head…he paused.  
Nick screamed for help.  
"What the fuck? Shoot it Ellis!"

~*~  
"Aye Nick."

"Yeah?"

"Promise you'll always be my friend."

~*~  
Ellis swung the axe and cracked it over the chargers head; the beast roared in pain and dropped Nick, it fell over the edge and plummeted to the ground.  
Nick screamed as he fell over the edge as well; he closed his eyes and prepared for a splattering death, but it didn't come.  
Nick looked up and saw a hand wrapped tightly around his wrist; Ellis stared deeply into Nick's eyes before pulling him up with the help of Coach and Rochelle.

"You okay Nicolas?"  
Nick groaned and grasped at his ribs.  
"It's nothing, just a bruise."  
Coach and Rochelle helped Nick to his feet, Ellis stood back away from the group. Why had he paused? Sure he hated Nick with all his soul, but he didn't want the man to die, that would be a waste of help for the new team.  
Ellis squeezed the handle of the axe until his knuckles turned white; he felt the corners of eyes sting with arriving tears. No, he would cry again, that had been a memory; a thing of the past, and the past was now behind him…Nick wasn't worth it anymore.

"H-hey Ellis, thanks for saving me."  
Ellis glared at Nick, his heart thumping against his ribcage.  
"We're even now."


	4. Chapter 4

Nick and Ellis: Valve  
Other Characters: Hannibal's Fannibal  
Story: DanniJean  
MalexMale Romance, Strong Language  
Don't Like Don't Read

"Imma dress like yew see!"  
Nick watched as Ellis squeezed a handful of styling gel into his small palm and began running it through his curls.  
"Need some help?"  
The camera sat on the bathroom counter and recorded Ellis sitting on the counter while Nick stood in front of him trying to spike his curls.  
"Do I have to dress like you?"

"Yeah, s' part of the game Nick, ya gotta do it too."

"Fine whatever, but I'm keeping on the clothes I'm wearing, my shirt is enough like yours."

"But I need yer jacket."  
Nick removed the leather and threw it at Ellis who happily snatched it up and hugged it; Nick smiled.  
"Now I gotta style yer hair."

"Style? Ellis, you walk around with bed head everyday, that's not style."

"Guess I'll jus' have tew mess it up then."  
Nick finished his attempt to spike Ellis' freshly cut hair, his mother had taken him to the salon the day before and had it trimmed shorter, the curls were still a bitch to gel, but Nick made it work.  
Ellis hopped off the counter and had Nick kneel in front of him, he took some of the gel and started mussing it around in older boy's dark chocolate hair.  
"Hey, yer hair is a lil' curly too."

"Yeah, that's why I keep it short, I hate curls."

"What's so bad 'bout curls?"  
Ellis played with one of Nick's hidden loose curls.  
"Nothing, they just don't look good on me; now you on the other hand, you're one heck of a lady killer with your messy hair and dashing good looks."

Ellis stopped moving his hands.  
"What's the matter fireball?"

"I dunno, I don't think I'm much of a lady killer."

"Sure you are."

"Girls scare me."

"No problem, you're too young to be worrying about women anyway."  
Nick stood up and took a look in the mirror, his hair was a complete mess, he did look a bit more like Ellis now though. He ruffled his shirt and tucked one end into his ripped jeans, Ellis slid into the leather jacket and practiced Nick's signature smirk.  
"M' names Nick an' I'm super cool, an' this is by buddy Ellis."  
Ellis giggled as he spoke to his reflection, Nick picked up the video camera and stepped behind him.  
"I'm Ellis the biggest redneck kid on earth and this is my best friend Nick."

They both broke into pure laughter, Nick set the camera back down where it continued to record.

"You know, you don't look half bad in leather."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I can tell you're going to be one hell of a man when you grow up kid, a better man than I could ever be."

"Whadya mean?"  
Nick bent down and brought Ellis into his arms.  
"I've done some things in my life that I wish I could take back, made some bad choices, befriended the wrong people…"

"But not me."

"No, no not you, you're a pure soul…you're all I've got now and I plan on keeping you safe from people like me."

"So yer the good guy now cuz of me?"

"More of an antihero I guess."

"What's that?"  
Nick glanced at the mirror and smiled as Ellis looked too, hugging him closer.  
"A good bad guy, he wants to be good but just can't quite make the cut. He does all these bad things and knows that he shouldn't, but he does them anyway."

"Have you ever hurt someone Nick?"

"No, but I would if it meant protecting you."  
Ellis brought his head down onto Nick's shoulder and spoke softly.  
"Thanks Nick, yer the awesomest friend I've ever had."

Nick felt his heart break deep inside his chest, he loved this little guy with all his heart, he wanted to protect him, to keep him safe…He wanted to be the one to love him when he grew up, but with the way his life was falling apart behind the scenes he was forced to live in constant fear that his next visit with Ellis would be his last.

"You too kid, you too."

"Nicolas get your ass in here!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!"  
Nick held tight to his abdomen, the charger had cracked at least five of his ribs.  
The team had met the rest of the special zombies on their way down the building; the mysterious jockey had reappeared and almost ridden Coach out a window, Rochelle had just barely missed getting puked on by a fat thing Ellis called a boomer, and Nick had been dragged halfway down the hall by a nasty long-tongued zombie called a smoker. Nick had screamed in agony as the tongue squeezed his already damaged ribs, Rochelle had been the one to save safe him when she jammed Ellis' fire axe into the creature's skull.

Now they were sprinting across the hotel's lobby towards a red safe house door, Coach and Rochelle were already safe inside holding the door open for Nick and Ellis, a large horde was on their heels.  
Ellis jammed Nick between the shoulders with the butt of his axe.  
"What the hell kid?!"

"Hurry up old man, I'm sick of protectin' yer slow ass an' I sure as hell don't wanna become no meal because yew got a lil' bruise."  
Nick looked over his shoulder and snarled.  
"Fuck off you little shit!"

"Ellis, Nick, get in here NOW!"

Nick huffed and pushed himself harder.  
"SHIT!"  
He looked back and saw Ellis on the ground, goddamn kid tripped…just perfect.  
Nick quickly turned around and sprinted to Ellis, he kicked in the skull of a zombie that had a hold of Ellis' ankle and dragged the man to his feet. Once Ellis was up he took Nick by the hand and pulled him into the safe house, Coach and Rochelle slammed it shut only seconds before the infected hit.  
Once the bar was sealed over the door everyone took a moment to breathe, Ellis looked down at his hand and saw that it was still tightly grasping Nicks, he stared for a moment before snatching his away in disgust.  
Nick snorted and walked to the other side of the room.  
"That was way too close."

"You got that right suit."

"I have a name you know, when do plan on using it?"

"Once you stop being a cocky asshole."

"Nicolas, Rochelle, would you two just stop?!"  
They both looked at Coach like two guilty children.  
"Sorry Coach, I'm just a little stressed."

"We all are Ro, it's alright."  
The survivors stood in silence, infected could be heard from behind the barricaded metal door.  
They broke off after a while, surveying the small house; it had been a three bedroom two bathroom home, the kitchen was small, but to the team's delight it was stocked nicely with canned goods.  
They all gathered in the living room after the quick inspection.  
"Nicolas let me have a look at them ribs of yours."

"Since when did you become a doctor?"

"Since I had to fix up my boys on the football team that's when, a handful of them always seemed to be breakin' somethin."

"Fine."  
Nick slowly removed his suit jacket, he winced at the motion. Once that was removed he began unbuttoning the light blue undershirt, his fingers trembled from the pain but he managed to get it open.

Ellis was glad he was sitting on the couch across the room or else his team would have caught him staring, Nick had become quite attractive over time, it was obvious that he was the kind of person who aged with grace.  
Ellis gulped when the blue undershirt was pulled apart, Nick wasn't exactly carved as Ellis was, but he definitely wasn't soft.

"The bruise is pretty large, there isn't too much I can do for you besides wrap you nice and tight with gauze to stabilize your back, and suggest you start standing up straight to ease the pain."

"Alright fine, I trust you; you look like a man who knows his donuts."  
Rochelle couldn't help but giggle, Coach sighed but a smile was evident on the corners of lips.

"Hey Ellis."

"Yeah?"

"Grab me that health pack on the table would ya?"

"Sure thing."  
Ellis bounced off the couch and brought Coach the medical supplies, he snuck a quick glance at Nick's hair dusted chest before quickly returning to his seat.

What the hell was he doing? Out of all the guys to crush on earth it had to be the one he hated the most…and not to mention how terrible his timing was, now was not the time to be crushing on someone who might die the next day.  
Nick had left him all alone all those years back, he had threatened his life without explanation for why he did in the first place…he left him and never came back until now. And now, Ellis was completely appalled by the feeling of butterflies fluttering inside him whenever he looked at his ex best friend.

He dropped his head into his palms while Coach patched up Nick, he felt like he wanted to cry but had done it so many times he'd forgotten how.  
There was a light shifting on the cushion beside him, he looked up and smiled as he locked eyes with Rochelle.  
Why couldn't he like her the way he liked Nick? She was stunning, funny, and he could already tell she was the caring motherly type…maybe that's why he couldn't like her, she was too much like a mother.

"What's the matter sweetie?"

"S' nuthin' Ro, don't worry."  
She placed a hand softly on his shoulder.  
"You can tell me anything Ellis, we're going to be stuck together for quite some time, so we might as well take this opportunity to get to know each other."

Rochelle was right.  
"Okay Ro, but can I tell you somewhere else?"

"Or course, let's go into one of the spare bedrooms."  
Ellis nodded and offered her a hand once he was standing; Rochelle glanced at Coach and he looked back, they spoke without words as Rochelle led Ellis the other room.  
Nick glared at Rochelle, what was she doing with Ellis?  
"Ouch! Are you trying to fix me not break me?"

"Stop bein' a wimp an' let me wrap you up."

"Just stared from the beginning sweetie, it's easier that way."  
Both Ellis and Rochelle sat cross legged on a bed in what appeared to be a guest bedroom.  
Rochelle looked at Ellis with great concern and care, it made him feel like he could easily open up to her and tell her everything there was to know about himself.  
"Promise yew won't judge?"

"Ellis, I'm not the kind of person to judge others, you'll find out that I am very accepting and open minded."

"Well alright, I'll go back to the day my life fell to shit."

…. 


	5. Chapter 5

Nick and Ellis: Valve  
Other Characters: Hannibal's Fannibal  
Story: DanniJean  
MalexMale Romance, Strong Language  
Don't Like Don't Read

~*~  
Nick was running, he had to get out of town before they found and killed him. He'd messed up big this time, picked a fight with the wrong person and gambled away money he owed to five different people. He'd been warned…  
"Get the money where it needs to go and you can keep your head."  
But he hadn't listened, he let his habits speak for him and now he was in up to his neck.

He needed to leave now, but he had just enough time left to take care of one last thing…He had to say goodbye to Ellis, and he knew it wouldn't be easy.

~*~  
"Honey, we can't do this anymore."

"I know, trust me I know."

"What do we do with him then?"

"We send him back to the orphanage, easy as cake."

"Just like that?"

"Yes just like that, we both knew we weren't ready for a child, but we got one anyway…and look at us now, it's too much for us to take care of."

"It?"

"Ellis, Ellis is too much for us to take care of, he needs to go."

Both Mr. and Mrs. Chapford stood in the kitchen, it was late, they held hot mugs of coffee in their hands.  
They had been discussing this topic for over three hours now, Ellis was sound asleep in his bed with no clue what his parents were planning.

"This feels wrong."  
Mr. Chapford shook his head at his wife.  
"It's the right thing to do, we can't handle a child, we don't want him."

"We don't want him?"

"Well isn't that why we're having this conversation?"  
Mrs. Chapford sighed.

"He had such a hard time in the orphanage, no one wanted him remember? He grew up there, if we send him back he'll spend the rest of his life thinking he was unwanted."

"He is unwanted, he has too many problems, he's too much to take care of."

"ROBERT! He's not a dog, he's a human being…"

There was knock on the door, Mr. and Mrs. Chapford stood at the same time to answer it.

"Nicolas?"

"I-I need t-to talked to…Ellis."  
Nick was out of breath, his car was parked down the block in a back alley, he needed to keep his cover. He had sprinted the entire way here, he gasped for air.  
"Do you have any idea how late it is?"

Nick shook his head.  
"Important…"

Mr. and Mrs. Chapford glanced at each other and then smiled, it was Mr. Chapford who spoke next.  
"Yes, yes come in, and before we get Ellis there is something we must discuss with you."

Nick glanced over his back before entering the house, the coast was clear…for now.

~*~  
"You want me to WHAT?!"  
Nick was standing in the kitchen with Ellis' parents, the coffee mug he had been holding was now broken and splattered across the floor.

"We want you to adopt Ellis."

"What the Hell?! He's your kid, why the fuck do you want me to have him?!"  
Mr. Chapford put a firm hand on Nick's shoulder.  
"Shh, you don't want to wake him yet. We can't take are of him anymore, we aren't fit to be parents; but you, you seem to be the best replacement."

"And what makes you think that?"

"Ellis loves you, he looks at you like you're his real father, he belongs with you Nicolas."

"I've only known him for five months…"

"Do you love him?"

"What?"

"Do. You. Love. Him?"

Nick's hands were shaking, of course he loved Ellis, but not in the way his parents thought. He was going to wait until Ellis was old enough before he declared his love for the kid; he knew since day one that he had to have Ellis, but he just couldn't have him this way…he wanted to be his future lover, not his father.  
But with how things were going right now, he knew that he couldn't even be his lover, he was a target now, and he had to leave this state and everyone in it, including Ellis.

"Nicolas?"

"Y-Yes."

"Then it is settled, we will get the papers and…"

"Mama, pa, what's goin' on?"

A very small, very sleepy six-year-old Ellis stumbled into the kitchen, he hadn't noticed Nick yet as he began rubbing his eyes.  
Mrs. Chapford rushed over to him and began herding him back towards the stairs.

"Hey, Nick! What yew doin' here?!"

Ellis squirmed away from his mother and ran to Nick; he wrapped his arms around Nick's legs and held on tight.  
There was an awkward silence between the adults in the room, it felt like ages before Ellis' mother spoke.

"Ellis sweetie…there's something we have to tell you."

"Whut?"

"Your father and I have been talking and we think it would be best for you if you…"

BOOM!

Glass began flying in all directions, gunshots and laughter could be heard from outside the house…Nick grabbed Ellis and ducked behind the island, the small child clung to his chest in utter terror.  
"N-Nick…whuts happenin' what's goin' on?"

"Shh…"

Another loud booming sounded off, more glass shattered, it went flying into the kitchen; Nick turned his back to the shards in an attempt to shield Ellis from any harm.  
Nick heard a woman screaming from the other side of the island, he peaked he head around the corner and grimaced when he saw Mrs. Chapford holding her husband's dead body, a large shard of glass was lodged through his right eye.

"Why's mama screamin!?"

"Ellis, I need you to be quiet…"

"Nicky?"

Nick flinched and squeezed Ellis closer to his chest.  
"C'mon Nicky, come out come out wherever you are."

More bullets flew through the broken windows, the people outside began slamming against the front door…they were trying to get in; Nick had to get Ellis out of here NOW.  
Nick glanced around the kitchen and almost cried in relief when he saw the door leading to the garage, it was only feet away…he just needed a distraction.

"Ellis?"

"Yeah?"

"I need you to do something for me okay?"

"O-Okay."

"I'm going to distract those guys, when I give the signal I need you to run through that door and into the garage; hide in there and wait for me okay?"

Ellis nodded his head, tears of fear were now streaming down his face; Nick kissed them away and set Ellis on his feet.

"Whatever you do, don't look back."

Then Nick stood and began screaming and flailing his arms in the air, he walked closer towards the front door in order to keep the attention directed towards him and away from Ellis.

"Look here! I'm right here guys! ELLIS NOW!"

Ellis sprinted to the door and turned the knob, he did as he was told and didn't look back. He ran into the dark garage and hid behind his father's car, he curled into a ball and began crying silently, he could hear the ring of more bullets…then silence.  
Ellis felt himself begin to hyperventilate, was Nick okay? What did the bad guys do to him?

"Ellis?"

Ellis jumped up and began searching in the dark for his friend, he found him sitting near the door, his form could just barely be made out in the dim light.  
"Nick are you okay?"

Nick made a gurgling sound, Ellis went to touch his friend's face but gasped as his hand met a dripping warmth.  
"Are yew bleedin?!"

"S-Shit…s' okay…shhh."

Nick began to stand, Ellis' mom screamed again from behind the door right before a bullet silenced her; Nick immediately scooped Ellis into his arms and ran as best he could for the door leading out of the garage and into the backyard.  
Nick hadn't grabbed the keys to either of the cars, and there was no time to hotwire them, Nick would have to run them to safety.

"Anders is mad as hell Nicky, you sure pissed him off this time…"

Nick grimaced as the voice came closer to the door, he rushed as fast as he could to the door and unlocked it, he hissed in pain but pushed through the door and began sprinting away from the house.

"Nick where are we goin?"

"I don't know fireball."

"What about mama and pa?"

"They can't come."

"Why?"

"Ellis be quiet, just hold on tight."

Ellis did as he was told, he worried about Nick though, blood was dripped out of his mouth and there was a large patch soaking through his white shirt.

"Nick?"

"What?"

"I got the video camera."

"So?"

"So when we die, our memories can still be alive."

"Ellis we aren't going to die, I need you to stay positive right now okay?"

Ellis didn't respond, he pushed the record button on the camera and closed his eyes.

~*~  
Nick ran as fast as he could, the two bullet wounds in his back and one in his chest were excruciating, but he knew he needed to get Ellis to safety, he was done for, Ellis was all that mattered now.  
Nick knew that his car was destroyed, therefore he didn't even bother to go look, he instead ran further down the block to a gas station.  
When they were finally there Nick ran around the back and collapsed against the side of the building, he was painting and gasping for air.

"Ellis…Ellis look, look at me."

Ellis removed his head from where it was buried in Nick's chest and looked up.

"Ellis, I'm in big trouble kiddo…"

"What happened?"

"Don't worry about it kay? I just need you to promise me something."  
Nick hugged Ellis tighter, his eyes began to water.  
"Don't come looking for me, you aren't going to find me."

"Whut?"

"I need you to stay safe for me, you're all I got left, you mean the world to me Ellis."

"Why can't I come with you?"  
Nick set Ellis in his lap, he began stroking his messy curls, the tears had begun to poor out of both of their eyes…the camera was face down, recording only sound.

"All my life Ellis I've been nothing but trouble, everywhere I go bad things follow, nothing good has ever happened to me until now, until I met you. I love you so much Ellis, and I can't have you living how I do, so I need you to stay here. I'm going to leave a trail for them to follow, I'll get them away from you…but you have to stay here and call for help."

"But Nick…"

"Nope, no butts…be strong for me."  
Ellis wrapped his arms around Nick's neck and began to sob.  
"Don't leave me alone Nick, I need yew."

"I'm sorry sport, but it's what's best for you."

"So I ani't ever gonna see yew again?"

"No, you won't."

Ellis took the camera off his neck and handed it to Nick, it continued to record.  
"Then take this, so yew can 'member me."

Nick took the camera and pulled the strap around his own neck, he then brought his hand up and removed one of his many shinning rings.

"And you take this, do whatever you want with it, remember me or forget me, but it's yours now."

Nick placed it in Ellis' small palm, it was a simple gold band, when Ellis examined it closer he could see that there were letters engraved on the inside, they spelled "Nick."  
Ellis sobbed, Nick leaned his forehead against Ellis' and smiled sadly.

"I wish I could have been there to see you grow up, to see you find that nice lady, get married and have lots of little troublemakers…"

"I don't wanna marry a nice lady, I wanna marry yew."  
Nick let the tears steam down his cheeks and onto Ellis' blue pajamas.  
"I'm no good for you Ellis, I'll only hold you back."

Ellis looked deeply into Nick's eyes and then pulled him into a harsh kiss, Nick didn't kiss back, it wouldn't be right.  
When Ellis pulled away Nick picked him up out of his lap and stood, the camera swayed against his chest, its battery was almost dead.

"I need you to go into the gas station and call 911, tell them people broke into your house, don't tell them about me go it?"

"K-kay…got it."

Ellis and Nick walked up to the gas station's back door, Ellis turned around and hugged Nick's waist, Nick hugged him back.

"I love yew Nick…"

Nick leaned down and kissed Ellis' forhead.

"I wish I could have loved you too."  
Nick took off running, Ellis fell to his knees and sobbed, he watched his friend run away.  
"Goodbye Nick."

~*~  
"And that was the last time I seen 'em since now."

"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, he left me all alone, them people killed mah parents and he left me to deal with it…he could have taken me with 'em, but he didn't. And the sad thing is Ro, I still don't know what really happened, why those people killed mah family or who they where…I've lived the past twelve years all confused and shit."

"Sweetie…"

"After that night I was sent back to the orphanage, I grew up there until I was eighteen, an when I left I tried to go find 'em…"

"But you couldn't?"

"No, I was sure that bastard was dead for a while."

"What convinced you otherwise?"

"There was a report on the news 'bout a mass murder in some ghetto not too far from mah old house, the people who were killed where the guys who killed my parents."

"How do you know it was Nick and not some other guy?"  
Ellis wiped away a tear that fell from his eye.  
"They all had rings just like the one Nick gave me lodged in their throats."

Rochelle shivered.  
"He sounds more dangerous than I thought."

"Yeah he does doesn't he."

Ellis squeezed the necklace clasped around his neck, the small golden ring burned into his palm.


	6. Chapter 6

Nick and Ellis: Valve

Other Characters: Hannibal's Fannibal

Story: Hannibal's Fannibal

MalexMale Romance, Strong Language

Don't Like Don't Read

"Where'd you get them scars Nick?"

Nick followed Coach's eyes to the scar on his chest, above his heart.

"I was saving the city from evil when the villain shot me with his diabolical weapon of doom."

"C'mon Nick, no need to be an ass."

Coach moved around to Nick's back and tisked.

"The hell Nick? There's two more back here, are theses bullet wounds? How much trouble can one man git into?"

"More than you'd think."

"So what happened?"

Nick sighed.

"I was shot, obviously."

"Doin' whut?"

"Protecting an old friend."

"A guy like you? Guess Ro was right, there is a heart in there somewhere."

"Shut up."

"What were you protectin' em' from?"

"I'd…I'd rather not talk about it."

"That's alright son, everybody s' entitled to keep their secrets, you tell me if an when you feel ready."

"Aw, big guys going soft on me."

Coach playfully slapped Nick on the back of the head and secured the gauze tightly, Nick's posture was already improving.

"Don't you think fo one second that Imma let my guard down youngin', you stay in line and we'll be just fine."

Nick snorted and rolled his eyes, earning him another smack.

"Yeah, ok, whatever."

"I'm glad I got yew Ro."

Nick glanced over his shoulder and scowled at Rochelle as she walked into the room with her arm around Ellis' waist.

"No problem sweetie, I'm always here for you. What are you looking at suit?"

"Nothing, you two lovebirds done? Because I'd love to know what the hell we plan to do now."

Ellis gawked at Nick and squirmed out of Rochelle's grasp. He walked around Nick only to stop completely and stare at the older man's back. Bullet wounds…Why were they so familiar?

"Take a picture overalls, it'll last longer."

"Leave him alone Nick, and put a shirt on, no one wants to see your saggy boobs."

"I do NOT have boobs! I have the body of a fucking supermodel!"

Rochelle began laughing hysterically, Nick's face was red with anger, Ellis and Coach looked at each other and then joined in on the laughter.

"Fuck this, I'm out!"

Nick began storming out of the room.

"I call biggest room, and first shower! I deserve a fucking castle with all the abuse I've had to deal with from you ass clowns!"

The three heard the upstairs door slam shut, it wasn't until minuets later did the laughing finally stop.

Rochelle wiped away a tear streaming down her face, she bent over to catch her breath.

"He is such a diva."

"You got that right Ro. Well now, who wants first watch?"

Ellis threw his hand in the air.

"I'll do it, I ain't sleepy none anyways."

"Coach and I already called our rooms…You can come in and get any one of us when you start feeling sleepy ok sweetie?"

"Kay Ro, g'night yew two."

The other two survivors nodded and headed off to their bedrooms.

Ellis waited until their door shut, he then turned off all the lights and took a seat next to the safe house door. He leaned against the wall and set his axe one the floor.

Ellis tugged the ring out from underneath his shirt…It shined in the moonlight.

It had been a long day, and all he wanted to do was sit in a corner and hide.

He examined the small letters engraved in the ring, just like he had hundreds of times before.

"So, you get first watch?"

Ellis jumped and instinctively grabbed for his axe.

"Chill kid, it's just me."

Ellis relaxed, setting his axe back down and snickering.

"Just you? Nick, that's plenty reason to be scared."

"Whatever."

Nick took a seat on the couch a few feet away, he lowered himself gracefully and straightened out his now dirtied suit.

Ellis watched his movements and began to feel uncomfortable, he scooted closer to the door, and farther away from Nick.

"What?"

"Sh-Shouldn't you be getting' some sleep."

Nick crossed his legs and tapped at his shoe.

"I'm a grown man, I can stay up as late as I want."

Ellis rolled his eyes.

"M'kay."

The two men sat quietly for what felt like ages, nether of them dared break the silence…It wasn't until Ellis' eyes began to droop did Nick's voice ring in the darkness.

"How…How have you been?"

Ellis squeezed the chain around his neck…When had he grasped it again?

"Been better, this apocalypse ain't doin' me no good, but I'm lucky to be alive…But you don't really care none do ya?"

Nick looked taken back.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't act like nuthin' happened, I shouldn't even be talkin' to yew right now."

"The hell kid? I'm just trying to have casual conversation."

"Ain't nuthin' casual about talkin' to yew, and the name's Ellis, I ain't no kid."

Nick smiled softly, waiting until Ellis' eyes met his before he spoke again.

"You're right, you aren't a kid…You're a man."

"Damn straight…"

"But I remember when you were a kid."

Ellis gripped the ring in the palm of his hand until his knuckles turned white.

"Yeah, I remember it like it was just yesterday…The first day I met you. You were so small, I remember how you hated me calling you squirt, how you loved it when I called you El…"

Ellis bit back the tears swelling in his eyes.

"I remember how we used to watch movies together, you loved to snuggle into my arms and even though you always promised you'd watch the entire movie…You'd always fall asleep halfway in…"

Nick positioned his arms as if he were cradling a baby.

"I remember holding you in these arms and thinking damn, this is life, this kid right here, right here in my arms…This child is the meaning of life…"

Nick looked into Ellis' eyes.

"You were the meaning of life Ellis…My life."

Ellis shot up and ran past Nick, he sprinted down the hall, up the stairs, and into the bathroom where he slammed the door shut and dropped to the floor.

He sobbed quietly, face in his palms.

'He's lying, he don't care about me, he just wants to get on my good side so he can use me…He don't give one shit…He's probably makin' up all those things…'

Ellis brought the golden ring up to his face, he examined the letters engraved on the inside…

"Nick…Why?"

Nick had let Ellis run out of the room, he knew the kid needed space, he was already pushing enough buttons trying to talk to him…He might have gone too far tonight.

Nick reached into the inner breast pocket of his blazer and pulled out what lay hidden inside.

A disk, made specifically for movies. Nick turned it over in his palms and sighed.

"Out of all the things to grab last minuet…I grab this…"

He glanced out the safe house window and up at the night sky.

"You fucking with me?"

The sky remained quiet, Nick snorted.

"Guess this is my punishment huh? You give me a second chance, but I finally get it during a goddamn zombie apocalypse…Nicely played."

Nick looked back down at the disk and read the words written on it just like he had every night after he had had it developed…

Ellis and I:

Our Friendship


End file.
